


Interlude

by explicitones



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Canon Compliant, Coda, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, M/M, Steve Feels, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-06 23:47:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20515508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/explicitones/pseuds/explicitones
Summary: Steve thinks about the moments they shared when they weren’t arguing over what was best for the world--a silly notion that, when really, they let their choices and actions be dictated by personal fulfillment.Or,Steve has a lot of time for introspection while he returns the Infinity stones to their original timelines.





	Interlude

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been nagging at me for awhile now so I finally sat down and wrote something. Please forgive any inaccuracies and my (painfully) deliberate avoidance of plot. Enjoy!

The fight is over. They’ve won one more war. In retrospect, they hadn’t even considered how the rest of the universe factored into things; their intentions had been terribly selfish by comparison. Avengers, fueled by grief and regret, too bitter and always angry. 

As Tony said, that was how they did their best work--after the fact. The war is won, but the rest is insurmountable. As long as they exist, it’s never really over. 

Steve thinks about all the events that led up to this. He thinks back to 1943, to the war, to Bucky and the Howling Commandos, Peggy’s voice through the comms unit, right before he crashed into an icy abyss--waking up nearly 70 years later in a century he didn’t belong. To an unruly and unlikely bunch, _ before _ they were the Avengers, each tormented by a tragic or dark past that brought them there. Fury had leveraged that. 

He thinks about Ultron, the Accords, and the Avengers’ unraveling. If they’d all been a little bit more compromising, willing to see things beyond what it meant to their immediate lives. Less selfish. He can’t help but think they’ve lost a lot in order to win the war. 

Tony is gone, but the world keeps spinning. The universe spans far and wide, illuminated by distant, dying stars, brilliant and burning. Steve thinks about the moments they shared when they weren’t arguing over what was best for the world--a silly notion that, when really, they let their choices and actions be dictated by personal fulfillment. 

In the end, that’s all anyone can do, isn’t it? Act on intuition and convictions until you believe that’s the right thing to do. You choose your morals and abide by them, he thinks. They were just doing what they thought was right, and here they are now. 

Steve handles the Infinity stones with care, recalling with a wince just how powerful and dangerous they are. He thinks, this mission will be the last. No more sacrifice. 

| _New Jersey, 1970_ | 

He returns the Space stone to SHIELD headquarters, but not without visiting Peggy’s office one more time. Steve remembers her from all that time ago--steadfast, beautiful, and so, so fierce. 

She’d seen through him _ before _ the serum. When he was weak but strong-willed, terribly determined and hellbent on making a difference. She’d been very much an inspiration, he thinks, if only because he’d been fighting for the past all this time. 

There’s a fleeting thought, _ that _ fleeting thought, again--what it would be like to stay. He entertains it for just a moment. Then, he squares his shoulders, straightens up. There are still five more stones to return, his mission is far from complete. 

| _Asgard 2013_ | 

Jane isn’t difficult to track down. He travels to the pre-programmed moment where she’d been ailing and twisting fitfully in bed before anyone notices otherwise. The Reality stone is easier to return than he’d imagined, though it’s all a bit inexplicable, isn’t it, something like magic or extreme science. He isn’t quite sure how it’s going to re-liquefy into the Aether and make its way back into Jane, but Steve would never claim to understand these things--he’s more a man of action--and if he had to provide an explanation, he would’ve trusted Tony to chime in. Tony isn’t around anymore, so there’s that. 

Steve rubs absently at his wrist where the straps of his shield would’ve gone, mimicking the tightening motion. He doesn’t dwell. 

| _Morag 2014_ | 

Quill is an entertaining fellow. He dances and sings like no one’s watching, but Steve notes the air of confidence that suggests he wouldn’t have cared either way who was. 

Space is entirely out-of-this-world, pun intended, and Steve would’ve never imagined in his lifetime, two lifetimes, that he’d have the opportunity to be here. It’s a shame there’s no one to share this with. He thinks about Sam and Bucky who are still back on Earth, in the future. For them, it’s only been a few moments. 

He feels a tremble of doubt in his stomach, flashing fast like lightning. He’d bet a lot on bringing Bucky home--overcome with a fierce protectiveness and love for his childhood friend. The time he’d bought back, it had still felt stolen somehow. 

Steve contemplates the years ahead with his oldest friend, time slipping through his fingers. None of them had planned beyond the last battle. Quite honestly, he doesn’t think any of them had really believed they’d survive. It’s a mentality not unlike the one he’d held fighting alongside fellow soldiers in the war. Stay present and engaged, eventually all things will come to pass. 

Steve wonders when he’ll be ready to mourn the dead. 

| _Vormir 2014_ | 

The summit where Steve has to drop the Soul stone from is a steep climb. It’s a journey that isn’t meant to be completed alone. At least, Steve recalls bitterly, not until the very end.

The planet is vast and barren, stretching miles upon miles of nothingness. He feels an insistent shiver down his spine, cold and unforgiving. If it gets a little harder to breathe, he doesn’t acknowledge it. 

Natasha’s sacrifice still weighs heavy on his conscience. He’d loved her like family. How horrifically convenient, Steve thinks, for her and Clint to have made the trip together. What other combination of the Avengers would have yielded the same results? Perhaps...there was history between enough of them, it wouldn’t have mattered much who made the trip. Regret creeps into the edges of his vision; he doesn’t dare speculate too long. 

When he reaches the top, there’s no one waiting for him. Clint had warned him of a dark, shrouded figure, very much the embodiment of death itself. But now, there’s no sacrifice to be made, no cryptic messages to exchange. It’s deceptively simple--a waste, almost, after everything this stone has cost them--to drop it back into the abyss below. 

Steve stares down the impenetrable distance with bated breath--for a moment, anticipating, hoping. 

“See you in a minute,” he murmurs, _ Goodbye._

| _New York City 2012_ | 

He finds Tony after. 

Tony from 2012 is still infuriatingly stubborn, but begrudgingly and not-so-secretly reverent of Captain America. Tony from 2012 is still all biting wit and sarcasm, more son than father. Tony from 2012 is still very much alive.

“So you’re...from the future?” Tony questions, eyeing Steve suspiciously. Steve doesn’t miss the swift once-over, subtle in the way Tony displays appreciation. 

He nods, “Yes.” 

“And...you’re here because I figured out how to time travel?” 

Again, Steve nods, smiling fondly at Tony’s bewildered stare. “Are you surprised?” he asks.

“Nope,” Tony quips immediately, with all the confidence of a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist. “Sooner than I would’ve expected though.”

Steve chuckles, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah well, you know how you are when something piques your interest.”

Tony quirks a smile at this, eyes soft in the early light. “Is that so?” he murmurs. “I suppose you’ve had time to be perceptive.” 

They stand some time together in silence, comforting in the way Tony fidgets beside him, shoulder brushing his on occasion. Could it be more meaningful than this, Steve wonders, grasping at some fleeting opportunity to fix things. It’s on the tip of his tongue. But he glances over at Tony who seems to be caught between thoughts as he usually is, gears churning. There’s something peaceful in this quiet moment, and it doesn’t matter that Steve’s come from a time where _ this _ is no longer a possibility; where there are, it seems, infinite possibilities. It doesn’t matter, that he’s come from some bittersweet resolution to catch a glimpse of the interlude. It just matters he’s here at all.

“Well,” Tony speaks finally, shuffling a foot on the pavement. His movement is deliberate, wary. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I imagine you have somewhere to be.” 

Steve nods reluctantly, offering his hand. “Tony,” he says, “It was good to see you.” 

Tony grasps his hand, giving it a firm shake, and glances up at Steve with a carefree smile. “Don’t be a stranger, Cap.” 

| _New York, 1945_ | 

Steve holds Peggy in his arms, swaying them gently to the music. He keeps his eyes closed for a beat, catching glimpses of his past.

He doesn’t go back. 


End file.
